Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian highlighted the establishment of parallel supply chains as a new disaster preparedness initiative to ensure the seamless provision of goods during disasters and calamities caused by climate change and human-induced hazards.

Called “Buong Bansa Handa,” the program establishes two parallel supply chains, one utilizing existing government warehousing infrastructure and the other involving the private sector for food security during disasters.

“The first one will feature an expanded network of national and local government warehousing infrastructure, which is already operating as we speak. For the second supply chain, we hope to tap the private sector to collaborate with us in ensuring food security for disaster victims,” Gatchalian said during the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation’s (PDRF) Cluster Connect Conference at the Dusit Thani Manila on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

This DSWD priority program focuses on involving government and private sectors in disaster response to ensure food security and social protection during crises.

Gatchalian during the conference emphasized the importance of collaboration between the government and civil society in mitigating the impacts of disasters and calamities.

“We cannot do it alone. We need to ensure, not only a whole-of-nation approach, but a whole-of-society approach to address the needs of Filipinos affected by disasters,” the DSWD chief said.

As the Vice-Chair for Disaster Response and Early Recovery Pillar of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Gatchalian pointed out that the DSWD continues to strengthen its disaster response and early recovery efforts to “prevent the loss of lives and assure the sufficiency of social protection interventions for families affected by disasters and calamities.”